February 2020 Student Awards
Amran Abdile Hassan Wins the 2020 Taiga Galli Refugee Award
Amran Abdile Hassan wins this year’s Taiga Galli Refugee Award valued at $3,000. Amran was born in Somalia in 2000. In 2002, Amran, her mother, and four siblings fled to Eritrea to escape the civil war in Somalia. The family traveled on foot for three months, eventually reaching a UN refugee camp where they lived for the next ten years. This was a sad and difficult period for Amran. The family was very poor, and Amran was regularly bullied because she was born with only one eye and Microphthalmia Syndrome. In 2013, Amran’s family was accepted by Canada as refugees. This spring, Amran will graduate from Bryne Creek Secondary and use her award to study Child and Youth Care at Douglas College, “so I may help youth and families like mine in the future.”
Mohammed Atasoy Wins the 2020 Taiga Galli Refugee Award
Mohammed Atasoy wins this year’s Taiga Galli Refugee Award, valued at $3,000. Mohammed was born in Turkey in 2001. In 2016, there was an attempted military coup in Turkey, and his family was caught in the crossfire. His father was accused of being a terrorist, and the family was forced to flee to Germany. In 2017, Mohammad and his brother were accepted by Canada as refugees and came to live in Burnaby. Both brothers began school with the support of a social worker whom Mohammed described as “literally an angel.” Mohammed will graduate from secondary this spring, and he will enter university in Fall. His dream is to become a doctor, as Mohammed explains, “I was the receiver of help, and now I want to help people for the rest of my life.”
Nadine Umutesi Wins the 2020 TCF Refugee Award
Nadine Umutesi wins this year’s TCF Refugee Award valued at $3,000. Nadine was born in 2000 and grew up in the Congo with her mother, two brothers, and a sister. Nadine’s mother passed away from cancer when Nadine was ten years old. In the same year, war broke out in Congo. One of Nadine’s brothers and her sister went missing after the war was declared, thereby forcing Nadine and her remaining brother to make a dangerous and difficult journey to Kenya to escape the war. After six years in Kenya, the UNHCR arranged Nadine to come to live in Canada with her aunt. At the same time, the rest of Nadine’s family were reunited and now live in Kigali, Rwanda. Nadine will graduate from secondary in June and plan to use her award to study for her Diploma in Dental Hygiene at Camosun College in Victoria.
Yu (Dora) Qi Wins 2020 David Lam / BC TEAL ELL Scholarship
Yu (Dora) Qi wins this year’s David Lam / BC TEAL English Language Learner Scholarship. Dora immigrated to Canada from Guanghong Province in China at the age of ten. Dora believes that “education is the only thing that has the power to change one’s fate.” Her parents were one of the first group graduates after living through the hardships of the Cultural Revolution in China. Dora believes that her parents’ generation has changed China. In turn, Dora wants “to be part of the generation that pushes Canada to new heights.” Dora will graduate from Moscrop Secondary in Burnaby in June. Dora is not only an excellent student but also an accomplished musician, a member of the Dragon Boat Team, the United Nations Connections Club, and the Leo Club. Her dream is to become a doctor. Dora writes, “ I am eager to become someone that is of real value to society.”
November 2019 Educator Awards
Elizabeth Spalding Wins the 2019 Pat Wakefield Scholarship
Elizabeth Spalding has been awarded this year’s Pat Wakefield Scholarship, valued at $3,000. Elizabeth will use the scholarship to attend the 2020 IATEFL Conference in Manchester, England. At the conference, Elizabeth will focus on her areas of interest, which include Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) as well as curriculum design, project-based learning, and learning technology. Elizabeth will present a workshop summarizing her experience at the 2020 IATEFL Conference at the 2020 BC TEAL Conference and will also submit an article to the BC TEAL Newsletter.
Shahid Abrar-ul-Hassan Awarded the 2019 Mary Ashworth Scholarship
Shahid Abrar-ul-Hassan wins this year’s Mary Ashworth Scholarship valued at $1000. Shahid will use the scholarship to travel to the 2020 TESOL International Convention in Denver, Colorado. Shahid will present a paper at the conference based on his doctoral studies in English for Academic Purposes and assessment practices and will also exchange his research with his international professional colleagues. Shadid will present a workshop and share his research at the 2020 BC TEAL Conference and/or write an article for the BC TEAL Journal.
Michael Landry Awarded the 2019 Mary Ashworth Scholarship
Michael Landry has won this year’s Mary Ashworth Scholarship valued at $1,000. Michael plans to use his scholarship to travel to the 2020 TESOL International Convention in Denver, Colorado. He has been accepted as a co-presenter for a poster session exploring the impacts of studying English for Academic Purposes. It will also be an opportunity to network with other doctoral students and review the latest research in the field. Michael will share his TESOL experience in an article in the BC TEAL Newsletter.
BC TEAL Conference Committee Awarded the 2019 Project Funding Award
The 2020 BC TEAL Conference Committee has been awarded the 2020 Project Funding Award valued at $2,500. The BC TEAL Conference Committee will use the award to support the cost of providing three internationally recognized keynote speakers for this year’s BC TEAL Conference scheduled for April 23, 24, and 25th at Douglas College. This annual conference attracts over 350 English language professionals and features two full days of professional development featuring presentations, workshops, panel discussions, networking events, publishers’ displays, and outstanding international plenary speakers.
Linda Peteherych Wins the 2019 Nan Poliakoff Memorial Award
Linda Peteherych wins this year’s Nan Poliakoff Memorial Award valued at $1,000. Linda used her award to present at the 2019 Decoda Literacy Conference, and to create a set of Letter-Sound Linking Charts for adult literacy instructors and students. This adult literacy instruction resource can be found on our Resources Page.
Natalie Anderson & Alison Heath Win the 2019 Health Education Award
Natalie Anderson and Alison Heath have been awarded this year’s Health Education Award valued at $4,000. Natalie and Alison will use their award to develop a PBLA-aligned curriculum for CLB 3 – 8 to help learners to describe their feelings, moods and mental health conditions. The curriculum will include activities to increase access to mental health services in the community and respond to mental health issues of well-being. The project will be shared at the 2020 BC TEAL Conference and in the BC TEAL Newsletter.
Diana Jeffries Wins the 2019 Settlement Language Resource Award
Diana Jeffries wins this year’s Settlement Language Resource Award with a value of $3000. Diana will use her award to develop CLB 5+ language lessons focusing on teaching ‘Settlement Decolonization in the EAL Classroom.’ The lessons will help students understand the complexities of the relationship between indigenous peoples and settler communities in Canada. Diana will share her resource for CLB 5+ at the 2020 BC TEAL Conference. See Diana’s resource Indigenous People and Canada.